COSMOS 1656

COSMOS 1656 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1985-05-30 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 796 km and 848 km with an inclination of 71.1°. It travels at approximately 26,799 km/h (7.44 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.21 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1656 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1656 orbits at an average altitude of 822 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 1656’s average altitude, there are currently 394 active payloads and 2,265 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 71.1°, COSMOS 1656 passes over latitudes between 71.1°N and 71.1°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 80 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1656.